Fortify Lives with Agriculture and Nutrition - Sylvia Mathews Burwell | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Fortify Lives with Agriculture and Nutrition - Sylvia Mathews Burwell | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Foundation Blog Posted by Sylvia Mathews Burwell on February 10, 2011 Fortify Lives with Agriculture and Nutrition Agriculture and nutrition can really work together for some powerful results. Not only does increasing agricultural productivity improve the health of smallholder farmers through better nutrition, but healthier smallholder farmers are also more productive, giving them the opportunity to grow more food, earn more income, and contribute to further economic growth. A woman in Tanzania prepares nutrient-rich orange-fleshed sweet potatoes for her family. I spoke about this “marriage” of sorts today in New Delhi, India at the International Food Policy Research Institute’s International Conference, “Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health.” One interesting thing about this conference is that it brings together people from agriculture, nutrition, and health – which is a relatively new idea – to talk about how agriculture can help improve the diets of more than 2 billion people in the world who still suffer from poor nutrition. It’s not enough to just increase the quantity of food available to the world’s most vulnerable communities, especially women and children. We must also improve the quality of their diets by ensuring they have access to diverse, nutritious foods. Look here to see an example of a crop farmers are growing in Africa that has higher levels of vitamin A. Wiping out malnutrition will require the best minds in agriculture, nutrition, and health – we have a lot to learn from each other – this conference is a great place to start. More to Explore: Our work in Agricultural Development Our work in nutrition International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) More Posts on:  Agricultural Development, Nutrition, Global Health